hi guys,

so i starting my oblivion with ooo installed for the first time and i'm wondering, how do you people play this mod?? im not saying the mod is bad, but its so hard..it seems like everywhere i go i get destroyed. i used to plunder vilverin when i exit the imperial city sewers but im getting killed this time. its the same for nearly every other place i go. i have no idea how to level up since i cant fight anything other than smalls animals like rats, and there aren't enough rats around for me to level up to a good level especially since ooo lowers levleing rates. trainers i cant do since they cost way too much. what am i supposed to do? how do i progress without cheating?? i feel like i can't progress at all at this point..

sorry for my bad english, it's not my first language.

Oscuro can be brutal towards a first-time user. It aims to bring the feel of Morrowind's more static difficulty into Oblivion. If you've ever played Morrowind you have an idea what to expect: harsh and unforgiving during the early levels, absurdly easy at high levels. By the time your character is 35 you will begin to feel godly and will be able to mop the floor with most enemies. So hang in there! It won't always be this hard.

Here are a few of my personal suggestions for a first-time user:

* Forget efficient leveling. Make the toughest, most combat-capable character you can.

* A jack-of-all-trades character is, in my opinion, a better choice for a first character than a specialized character.

* Read the notices you find in cities. They will warn you away from high-level dungeons in that area.

* Expect to run away a lot at lower levels. We all do it, don't be ashamed. Few of us have ever made it all the way through Vilverin on a first character. Even after years of playing OOO I still am unable get through Vilverin with a level 1 character.

Finally, here's a handy Beginner's Guide to Oscuro, including some tips on making a first character: http://devnull.sweetdanger.com/ooospoilers.html

To add to Pseron's excellent tips, an important part of OOO is that dungeons will get more difficult the deeper you go. Don't worry about clearing dungeons in one go- find out where your limit is and come back later, when you are stronger.

There are aspects of OOO that I find too tedious or irritating, and I add other mods that either overwrite the changes it makes or give me more tools to deal with the increased difficulty (like companions) but, I know that it is very possible, and in fact very rewarding, to deal with the challenges OOO presents without additional mods. I hope you find the tips here and in the Beginner's Guide helpful! Don't lose heart, when you get stronger and destroy those enemies that seemed so powerful before, it is the most satisfying thing in the world

First level of Vilverin should be doable by a fresh started character, AFAICR. Don't go past the second level, though, as that's where the spooky stuff starts to appear

That rule should apply to most places near the Imperial City, with some exceptions (trying to not give too much spoilers, but stay clear of one of the caves that are near the waterfront area.)

Also, there are some easily doable initial quests around the map, like the Fishing quest in Weye, the Goblin farm in Chorrol, the ship in Anvil (once you get an enchanted weapon), Aleron Loche quest in Bravil, the guild's initial quests. Bandit camps near the road are accesible too, maybe with some patience, some luck and help from a patrolling guard (if you're on the road, use the guards as help! run to them if you're overwhelmed... that's the reason there are so many of them!)

EDIT: Sorry, meant to say that even if the quest seems to be uninteresting and/or not worth the effort since it wouldn't give you a level, for example. The truth is that some of them give good rewards, that are very useful when starting from nothing (thinking of: Chillrend from Chorrol, Anvil quest gives an enchanted Sabre, fishing quest a ring, etc.) Of course, it'd depend on which weapons your character will prefer, but they are options worth to take into account!

Rule of thumb is, the more further away you are from civilization (mostly cities) the more dangerous a dungeon will be... most of the time you'll find that you can tackle the first level, but as soon as you get into the end of the first level, or the start of the second you'll find groups of enemies, or tougher enemies, or enemies that have tons of resistances. So, stick with areas near cities at first, and progress from there.

Good luck!

Best wishes,

~Leandro.

You can close animated containers if you're in sneak.

If you're new to it keep difficulty low! I play on medium and it's extremely hard lol .